


Anywhere, I would have followed you

by Taepai



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: He's not actually shown or anything lol, I Made Myself Cry, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I just wanna smack Jongin ugh, Like they do shit to me, M/M, Mentioned Luhan, Multi, Oh Sehun is a little shit I swear, Sorry Not Sorry, and squish kyungsoo cause he's precious, enjoy it yo, first oneshot in a long time, hinted!baekyeol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3686565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taepai/pseuds/Taepai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><span><span>Three days turn to five months.</span></span><br/>Five months to two years.<br/><br/><em>"Don't you think it's time to let go?"</em><br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Anywhere, I would have followed you

**Author's Note:**

> Been a LONG while since I've wrote and this is my first post on AO3 lol.  
> I lose motivation quite quickly, so sticking to one shots till I discipline myself.
> 
> Inspired by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera - Say Something.  
> Give it a listen.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the idols or the song. Cross-posted from my AFF.
> 
> Yun © 2015. All rights reserved.

**December 25th, 2020**

Breath fogging up the window and body trembling ever so slightly, Jongin solemnly sat on his window sill, wondering if he made the right decision as he gazed down at the festivities beneath him. It wasn't like he could take all the harsh criticisms and selfish actions back. It's far too late now to do anything about it. Maybe if they had more time, Jongin could have probably done something about it - scratch that -   **anything** about it. He couldn't even cry over the thought of it, since he'd long ran out of tears the day he let Baekhyun walk out of his life.

_"I'm always last on your list of priorities."_

**Wrong.**

Baekhyun was the person he treasured the most. He loved him so much that he didn't want to face him for fear of being ridiculed as a terrible boyfriend. How could Jongin allow his lover to be seen with someone like himself? He deserved so much more and yet he settled for so much less. Jongin didn't know whether to laugh or slip into silence at the absurdity of it all. If only his unspoken thoughts were strung into coherent sentences more often, perhaps Baekhyun would still be here.

_"Are you just going to sit there and be quiet? Say something, will you?"_

**I wish I could have.**

The chestnut-haired boy let a small, sullen smile find its way onto his lips, before it lost itself in the sea of his ever changing emotions. While meeting and loving Baekhyun made life seem like endlessly swimming in an ocean of happiness, it didn't give Jongin the chance to express his thoughts. Every word and gesture was kept inside. Well, most of it anyways. Whether it from sheer cowardice or perhaps indifference, he didn't know and truth be told, he was too frightened to even try to find the answer.

He distinctly remembered the tirade that he went on a week prior to his boyfriend's departure. Two years counting and he may have blurred the words a bit, but he had the gist of his offensive and cruel monologue. Something about spending too much time with the Park fellow and forgetting to mention that he went the hospital every Tuesday and Friday evening to talk to his psychologist. All of it was mush in Jongin's mind and deciphering it was a heartbreaking hassle, so he jumped to stupid goddamn assumptions and lost everything in the long run. Oh how he wanted to place the entire blame on Baekhyun, but when that thought crossed his mind, a pang of guilt signaled him to cease and desist.

Looking back on this transient memory, Jongin unconsciously shook his head. Every accusation was a stupid excuse to make sure Baekhyun knew that he still cared about him in some sort of twisted way. Was it then that spurred his one and only love to completely abandon him or was it months before that? Maybe, he held all those melancholic emotions all in and Jongin was just too dense to realize it. It was a question that constantly plagued him whenever he had time to even himself think.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind collided with the window and shook both the frail glass and Jongin's wavering heart. It took all the strength within him not to collapse from recalling so many pleasant memories of his former lover. He glanced up at the hands of the clock and a frown settled almost indefinitely on his lips.

 _Time_.

Literally, time was the only thing that could have saved their relationship and possibly Baekhyun's life. How was he to know that the elder would impulsively venture off into an impending blizzard? He'd thought Baekhyun would have known better. But no, he could never erase that fact that it was his fault. He drove his beloved to such extremes.

_They tried to play the game of life together, but life isn't always fair and so they both lost in the end._

 

**May 6th, 2021**

Jongin found himself visiting Baekhyun again. It wasn't those types of visits where he'd loiter around until the elder man would ask him to spend the night. No. It was one of those where he'd sit and quietly converse with him about anything that came to mind.

Except this time, Baekhyun was silent.

No beautiful words spilled from his lips.

No gentle kisses.

No warm embraces.

 _Nothing_ to connect them.

"How have you been Hyunnie?" 

Baekhyun lacked the means to respond, but Jongin offered him a small, strained smile to show that he didn't mind much. He mustn't break in front of the one individual that he vowed to love with ever fiber of his being, so he contained his sorrow and tears.

"Good.. I hope? Everything has been fairly the same. Oh, except Sehun found a new love interest to obsess over. I think his name was Luhan? Apparently, Luhan is florist and works at the flower shop right next to Sehun's house. He won't shut up about him and how gentle and sweet he is hah. The store is doing pretty well too, but it would be doing much better if you were around. Everyone misses you. I would have visited sooner, but something came up. I'm getting off topic anyways. You already know why I'm here so I might as well spit it out and save you the trouble of listening to me babble on and on."

Jongin nervously shuffled about in front of the other and laughed softly. Those flickering thoughts of betrayal and secrets threatened to re-surface again, but the compassion he felt for the man doused the flurry of flames. Everything was difficult enough on its own. One minute, he felt hatred for the man and the stupid impulsive decisions that led them to this situation and then the love swooped in and filled in the cracks, freezing it, and creating new ones. It was a painful process, but he couldn't will it to stop if he wanted to.

"Remember when you left on Christmas day? What am I even saying? Of course you do. You're the one who left.."

A pregnant pause filled the silence and Jongin took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to say that I don't blame you and I do love you very much and I would do anything to make sure you know that, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it. It was like I suddenly couldn't speak our language. I couldn't understand you or me at all. Pretty pathetic huh?"

As much as he longed to hear that beautiful and rich tone course from those lips, he knew that he never could again. Whether they were sealed from his hurtful actions, the frigid cold, or Baekhyun's own actions, he would never hear his lover speak or sing again. His voice was lost among the other millions of voices. It was such a shame as Baekhyun's voice could rival angels if he truly tried.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh...nice seeing you again, Chanyeol, and no."

The two of them stood there side by side in silence and just took in the entire nuance of the environment. They didn't need to speak in order to understand that there was no bad blood between them, instead there was nothing but a wave of overwhelming loyalty for the man in front of them.

Baekhyun was entitled to anything he wanted and it was Jongin's insecurities that pushed that bursting ball of happiness away. At least he didn't hurt him any longer.

"I'll be taking my leave," Jongin mumbled as he nodded at Chanyeol, acknowledging their encounter, "Bye Hyunnie." The words slipped past his lips as if a part of his soul chose to disappear alongside those two words.

_Every song has an ending. Theirs wasn't any different._

 

**August 10th, 2024**

The sweltering heat left Jongin breathless and in a foul mood. He may have looked like a summer baby, but reality dictated that he was a winter baby through and through.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, Jongin released a sigh, pent up from the frustration of his job.

He had discovered it with the help of Baekhyun many years ago, but the downside is that the latter's best friend also worked in the same shop, so he was painfully reminded of his former lover every time he saw his co-worker.

It wasn't the memories or the man's features that conjured up the past, but the mere glimpse of the male's silhouette that made it difficult to breathe. That and a tiny bit of the sarcastic personality that Baekhyun embodied, which was a given since they were best friends. Other than that, there was nothing that was similar to his beloved. The man's ebony hair was usually coifed and appeared temptingly soft, whereas Baekhyun's hair was side-swept and sometimes reminded him of a bird's nest. When he told his then boyfriend that, Jongin got the scolding of his life, but he was forgiven with a just a kiss. No matter how many times he'd say something dumb, Baekhyun would laugh at him and reward him with a sweet peck and just like that they were back to normal. So what happened?

"JONGIN!"

"Y-yes?"

"Stop daydreaming and get started on making that patbingsu for table 6!"

"On it sir!" Jongin scrambled to scoop the ice into the bowl and carefully make the dessert as fast as his hands could permit him to. Even after several years of being here, he still had trouble getting the orders out on time or right. It's a miracle he hadn't been fired yet. Sehun suggested it was because his face drew in unsuspecting customers, which was good for the business.

"Thinking of him again?" He jolted slightly and spilled a spoonful of the sweet red beans on the counter.

"Oh crap, sorry. I'll clean that up." The same chocolaty voice man offered.

"Don't worry about that Kyungsoo. I got it."

"I insist. It was my fault for startling you." Kyungsoo didn't allow his co-worker to utter a word before he took a rag from under the counter and swiftly wiped the surface clean.

"You don't always have to clean up after my messes." The younger man protested, but his words fell onto deaf ears as Kyungsoo proceeded to rinse off the cloth in the adjacent sink with an amused chuckle.

"I know, but someone has to." Kyungsoo matter-of-factly said as he wringed out the rag and hung it up to dry before patting his hands dry on his apron, "Anyways, you didn't answer my question."

"My answer is no." The chestnut-haired man turned away to drizzled caramel and chocolate sauce on the patbingsu. Placing the order on a tray, he was just about ready to leave, when he was stopped in his tracks by an irritated individual.

"Liar," Kyungsoo bluntly stated as he firmly smacked the other's arm, "I don't even know how you get away with anything when you're such a horrible liar."

"It's the face." Jongin retorted, failing to hide a growing smile.

"Shut up."

It wasn't long till the two of them bursted out laughing, clutching at their stomachs with tears dripping from their eyes. Then the wobbling of the patbingsu brought them back to reality as Jongin and Kyungsoo both dove to save the glassware from shattering and their paychecks from crying. They could all ready hear the numbers being subtracted.

"I GOT IT!"

"NO I DO!" 

Fortunately, neither one of them could have caught it as their boss happened to walk in and save the dish from its sticky hell. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Jongin slightly relax, but a subtle tap to his lower back from his co-worker told him that they were in deep shit.

"Do Kyungsoo. Kim Jongin." Their boss addressed them fully, sending shivers up their back, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Erm sir we can explain." The younger man glanced at his hyung for moral support or an explanation of any kind. Maybe the other was right, he was crap at lying.

"Sorry boss, Jongin spilled the beans and I couldn't help but laugh at it."

"Well if that's all that happened, make sure it doesn't happen again." The store's owner gruffly replied and walked off to check on the kitchen staff and other staff members. While Jongin recovered his composure, Kyungsoo finished up the order and delivered it to the corresponding table. He owed a lot to the petite male - much more than he'll like to admit. Kyungsoo was responsible and so put together that it hurt him to stand next to the smaller man. Searching his brain for a correct way to repay someone back, Jongin thought long and hard as he stared at the pastries for inspiration. 

"The cakes will explode if you keep that up." Kyungsoo sarcastically joked around, but Jongin was so into his own world that he didn't hear it. The idea was literally floating around him, but he couldn't grab it even if he tried.

After a few awkward minutes, it hit him.

"How about dinner tonight?"

"W-what?"

"Dinner. Tonight, my place?"

"Okay?"

"You don't sound so sure."

"Okay." Kyungsoo curiously raised an eyebrow, but simply settled with a warm smile while he took a handful of incoming orders.

_Laughter is the best medicine. He found another reason to smile._

 

**October 30th, 2025**

Somehow Kyungsoo wormed his way into his life. He didn't know how or for what reason, but he didn't mind. It kept him occupied and just being with Kyungsoo guaranteed him a few laughable moments. However, he still didn't like how his mind distorted his image into Baekhyun. It honestly freaked him out, but he didn't want to worry Kyungsoo, so he chose to keep it to himself.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to tell your unpredictable best friend where you worked, was completely insane. The now blond-haired man sighed as he tried to tune out the incessant chatter of the shop plus his friend, which right now seemed absolutely impossible. 

"So... Halloween."

"Kyungsoo, please tell Sehun that I'm not going to the Halloween party with him."

"But Jongin, you gotta come!" Sehun pleaded, pulling all those sickeningly cute aegyo moves that could put anyone into cardiac arrest. Luckily, being Sehun's friend for more than ten years paid off because Jongin was immuned to it all.

"Nice try, but no."

"Don't be a stick in the mud," The youngest male turned up his persuasive skills and decided to targeted the man who was less accustomed to his tricks, "Kyungsoo hyung, please make Jongin change his mind." Sehun decided to top it off by clinging to the said male over the counter, which elicited an astonished yelp from the petite man.

Prying his best friend's fingers from Kyungsoo's waist, Jongin protectively wrapped an arm around him and tugged him close with a distinctive pissed off expression plastered upon his face. If the petite male was embarrassed beforehand, he was clearly flushed now from such an out of character move from his friend. It wasn't like Jongin to be possessive ever since Baekhyun left him and seeing that side of him left him speechless. Usually composed, Kyungsoo didn't understand how his best friend's ex-boyfriend could have such an effect on him. The emotion left him feeling guilt-ridden, so he quickly peeled himself off of the man and took three steps away.

"We'll go, so stop pestering us. You're making Kyungsoo uncomfortable."

"No problem." Sehun cheekily replied with a smirk, eyes trained on the placement of Jongin's hands on his co-worker. "Well have fun you _two_ , see you in tonight!"

"I will never know why I'm still friends with that loser." Jongin rubbed his temple in frustration, but his flickering smile told Kyungsoo that the former was far from being in a sour mood. "Sorry for getting you involved, I guess we are going?"

"I guess we are."

"What do suppose we go as?" 

"Ourselves?"

"Soo, that's.... GENIUS!"

"Tell me you're joking."

"Clearly, you don't know me hyung."

"I don't think anyone does." Kyungsoo deadpanned as he tossed several rags at Jongin, "You can think of it later, but make yourself useful and actually do work idiot."

"Hey was that a blond reference!"

"No, it was just one about how lazy you are." The brunette-haired man playfully stuck his tongue out at Jongin before retreating to the storage room to take a much needed inventory check, leaving the younger male annoyed and warm, much to his confusion.

~~~

In the span of six hours, Jongin was somehow coerced into choosing a costume for the party. At first, Kyungsoo suggested that he should go as a vampire, but he instantly declined.

"He would loved to see you in the costume." Kyungsoo commented softly as he rubbed the fabric of the cape between his thumb and forefinger. There were an array of capes and hideous outfits that would make adult squeamish, but none of them seemed to interest the blond-haired man.

"Can't I just go as myself?" Jongin laughed dryly and tugged down on his cap, "I'll just put on someone nicer clothes and pretend I'm an idol or something."

"If that's the case," the elder man sighed and swiftly removed Jongin's cap, placing it on his own head with a soft smile, "we'll both go as idols, so you don't look like an idiot by yourself."

"Who are you calling an idiot?" There it was again, that hint of a smile that he couldn't will away. More and more it would show up around the other and he didn't know how to stop it.

"I don't see anyone else named Kim Jongin around here." Kyungsoo brought his hand above his eyes and pretended to search around the store. The younger responded by stealing back his cap and returning back to its rightful place - on top of his head.

"Let's just go get dress and head to the Halloween party before Sehun stalks us." Jongin shivered and checked behind a clothes rack for the male in mention. It wasn't the first time that Sehun found him. It was as if years of spending time with him, allowed Sehun to develop a Jongin tracker of sorts. It was endearing, but an invasion of privacy to the umpteenth power. Then right on cue, his pocket buzzed and he jerked a bit from the sudden alert.

To Jongin:

_hey get ur butt over here. r u bringing kyungie???_

To Sehun:

_I'm on my way and don't call soo, kyungie ._._

To Jongin:

_wahtever jst get here and tell your bf hi for me._

To Sehun:

_HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND._

Jongin aggressively texted back, before shoving the phone into his back pocket with a huff. Glancing at Kyungsoo, he noticed that the brunette went back to browsing costumes, smiling every so often when something odd would pop up. When Jongin thought about it, Kyungsoo would make a good boyfriend, but not for him. There were so many things wrong with dating your former boyfriend's best friend. Besides, the two of them were practically like best friends and Baekhyun was still a part of him that he didn't want to leave yet.

"Ready to go?" Kyungsoo inquired as he graced Jongin with a bright smile, one of the many to make the younger question his feelings.

_Sometimes baby steps and scary costumes can spark a new flame._

 

**February 14th, 2026**

He wasn't going to follow through with the normal terms of Valentine's Day. It was too icky and sappy for him and he wasn't up for re-kindling any old feelings or memories in the process. But strangely, the more time he spent with Kyungsoo, the less he thought about Baekhyun. It was new and he wasn't sure if he wanted to welcome the feeling or kick it outside his apartment door. He feared that if he replaced what he once had, he'll never reclaim it.

Sehun had plans - thankfully - with Luhan, so Jongin didn't have to deal with his hyperactive best friend on one of the busiest, if not most expensive, days of the year. What was so great about buying someone you love a box of chocolates and some balloons, if it was only for one day? Shouldn't you do it everyday then if that were the case? Baekhyun used to tell him that he was such a realist and that he should learn to appreciate the romantic side of things. Course, he'd rolled his eyes and Baekhyun would smack him upside the head for sassing him without uttering a word.

Since it was a holiday, he didn't have to report for his shift at the shop, but that left him with nothing to do except watch tv, eat, and sleep. This made for a very uneventful day and further fueled his dislike for the holiday. All of his friends were busy doing some love-dovey thing with their significant others, so he couldn't just waltz right up to them and intrude on their dates. That would be just plain rude. The only other person that he hadn't bothered to contact was Kyungsoo for obvious reasons. Rolling off the couch, he grabbed his phone off the table and typed a message up, but erased it and typed up another that displayed less lameness.

To Kyungsoo:

_Are you busy?_

To Jongin:

_No, why?_

To Kyungsoo:

_Want to waste time together?_

To Jongin:

_Sure :)_

Jongin wasn't sure what was more surprising: the fact that Kyungsoo agreed right away or that he had someone to spend Valentine's Day with - unromantically that is. The first thing he needed to do before his hyung got to his apartment was clean it. Spending half his life at work left his living arrangements a bit messy than the average person, so he decide to hide all the unnecessary objects in his closet. The dishes were a lost cause so he did some of them and neatly rinse and stacked the rest in the sink for later. All that there was left was to tackle the mess that was his bed. Jongin could have locked the door to his room, but that meant he had shit to hide and that wasn't cool in his book, so he made his bed. It was more like wrestling, but he won of course.

40 minutes and 36 seconds. That's how long it took Kyungsoo to arrive at his place. It wasn't like he counted or anything. He just happened to check the time right after the petite male texted him and right as soon as he got to his apartment.

Honestly, Jongin had nothing planned for the day. Like all he thought about was that he needed some company and that's where his brain decided to play tetris instead. Maybe that was the reason he failed math in the 11th grade. He never did have a well-established attention span. But that was besides the point. He needed a legit reason for calling Kyungsoo over. Casually looking around, he spotted the side of a box with colorful text layered on it.

"How do you feel about playing a game?" 

"Twister? Really?" The brunette eyes followed Jongin's before his lips twitched ever so slightly.

"But," The younger man dramatically started, "before each move, we take a shot."

"It's too early to be drinking Jongin."

"So you're admitting defeat?" He prodded a bit more.

"Get ready to lose."

While Jongin stood there like a statue, Kyungsoo didn't hesitate to grab the box and pull out the plastic tarp-like fabric. Laying it down on the floor, he smoothed the entire thing down and got up, patting himself. It was then that Jongin magically regained control of his limbs and headed off to the kitchen to grab two shot glasses and some soju. He could have grabbed the vodka, but he wanted to be considerate. Also, he didn't know how well Kyungsoo could hold his drink, but he wasn't going to test it out on today out of all days.

When he got back to his living room, he noticed that the table was shoved off to the side to make more room. Filling both glasses he got himself comfortable on the floor with a lopsided smile and handed the other glass to Kyungsoo, who looked more competitive by the second.

"Guest first." Jongin gestured to the rainbow dotted mat and game spinner that was probably modeled after a mutated clock.

Gulping down the first shot, his hyung spun the hand and waited for it to tell him the color to place his foot or hand on. It decided to land on green, so he placed his foot on it. Better safe than sorry.

"This is going to be a piece of cake."

"I wouldn't say that is I were you, Soo," Jongin tsked as he took his shot and followed suit, "it's not as simple as it looks."

"We'll see about that." Kyungsoo grinned, as he bent down to pour himself another shot.

After several successful turns and six shots later, it came to the point where Kyungsoo had to maneuver his right hand over Jongin's body, while his legs were in a inhuman pretzel shape. He was flexible, don't get him wrong, but he wasn't that flexible enough to maintain that position. Therefore, he did what any average person would do in that situation - fall. Luckily, Jongin was underneath him, so his fall was broken by something at least.

"Told you you'd loseeuu." Jongin slurred slightly, laughter drifting from between his lips.

"Shudupp," the brunette scrunched his nose briefly before laughing, eyes crinkling into pretty little crescents as he clung to the front of Jongin's shirt.

Maybe a part of it was the soju's fault or maybe it was the position they were in, but suddenly Jongin had the urge to kiss Kyungsoo. Just a few inches and he'll be able to feel just how soft those pink heart-shaped lips were.

"Can I k-kiss you?" He blurted out, stuttering in the process. If he was sober, he would have never asked such a dumb question. The soju apparently made him brazen, but less logical.

Upon hearing the question, Kyungsoo blinked a few times and stared at him as if he had two heads, which unnerved Jongin a bit. Even if he was somewhat inebriated, he wasn't used to someone responding to his question with that kind of expression.

"No persun would ask before they kiss, Jonginnie." the older male chortled, tilting his head to the side in amusement.

"You haf a point..." The blond-haired man murmured as he pressed his lips against the other. For a fraction of a moment, Kyungsoo tensed up, but then he found himself kissing his co-worker back. Almost as soon as he kissed him, the elder male pulled back, breathless and face flushed from the sheer intensity of the liplock.

"Umm, you win," Kyungsoo cleared his throat and quickly slid off of Jongin. He had long crossed the line that he wasn't allowed to touch his best friend's ex-boyfriend, no matter how utterly handsome and stupidly charming he was. It was an unspoken law and applied even if Baekhyun wasn't able to say it. "Let's uh watch a movie."

Jongin hummed in approval as he clumsily gathered the empty soju bottles and the glasses up, making sure to not trip over the game box on the way out.

_First kisses are magical. Second first kisses wipe the slate clean._

 

**December 25th, 2028**

"Merry Christmas, you idiot."

A neatly wrapped gift was tossed on top of him and he nearly cried out in surprised. It was lightly decorated in powder blue gift wrap and topped off with an intricately tied on snowy white ribbon. Simple and complicated at the same time. It was just like Kyungsoo.

"You didn't have to, Soo."

"Shut up, I wanted to."

"You still -" His protest was cut short by an icy glare from the shorter male. Without saying anything, Jongin knew he was at a loss, so he chuckled and graciously accepted the gift. Picking up the box, he positioned it next to his ear and shook it lightly. From the solid sound, it could have been anything from a rock to a new iphone, but Jongin was horrible at guessing games so he turned to Kyungsoo with a mischievious look, which spelled nothing but suspicious for the elder man.

"Soo -"

"No."

"You didn't hear my question!"

"I didn't have to," Kyungsoo laughed and got himself settled on the couch seat next to him, "Your face told me everything."

"Well it's not my fault, you know me so well." Jongin couldn't help but grin as he slowly opened the gift. First came the ribbon, which may or may have gotten stuck on his finger, but he made it through it alive and with all ten fingers. Then he tore the wrapping as neatly as possible, because he had to admit that the pattern chosen was really pretty and he couldn't bear to tear it to shreds, especially his favorite hyung bought it for him. However, when it came down to the moment for opening the present, he froze.

Today was the day that changed it all. How could he forget?

"Jongin..?"

"Huh?"

"You spaced out again... were you thinking of him again?"

"Of course not, why would I be?" He uttered a laugh before opening the package. In the box laid a wristwatch. With a glossy face and golden embellishments, the mahogany leather watch would have practically made anyone cry in delight, but Jongin let the smile on his lips speak for itself.

"It's been exactly ten years Jongin."

"And?" Jongin felt the couch shift slightly, but he didn't turn to face his hyung. Instead, he just draped the watch over his wrist and positioned it on. Kyungsoo had good taste, as the hues of the gold and mahogany complemented his skin. He distracted himself by tinkering with the knob, changing the hands of the clock to the correct date and time.

"Don't you think it's time to let go?"

The silence that followed felt like an eternity as Jongin tossed the empty gift box from hand to hand in thought, yet he couldn't program him brain to think of anything coherent to say. He's spent so many years avoiding it, that he hadn't thought about what he would say if it came up.

"I -"

"You don't have to say anything Jongin. I get it." Kyungsoo flashed him a smile, but somehow Jongin knew that it was forced and so fake that guilt begin to surface in his conscience. He was doing the right thing by making sure that the other found someone who was better for him. Kyungsoo didn't need to leftovers of a failed relationship to fix and pretend like it's all new. He deserved the best and he wasn't the best right? Once again, it was like a repeat of that very day, but this time he could say something. He could put an end to it once and for all.

"No." The words came out less confident than he anticipated, but it was as affirmative as he could get them to be. What mattered is that he managed to get Kyungsoo to stop in his tracks, even if for a bit.

"It's oka - " 

"No, it's not." He rushed forward and embraced Kyungsoo, burying his face into the shorter man's hair. Inhaling in his scent and holding his trembling frame close, Jongin realized that he's been hiding from something as simple as breathing. An emotion that he could easily . He was still just learning to understand what love was and through departure, Baekhyun taught him that if he didn't hold on, it would flee without a trace. Mistakes were made, but he could at least promise Baekhyun that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice when it came to someone he cared about.

"Jongin, let go."

"I can't. I'm not letting someone I love go without saying something." 

"Are you referring to me or...to _Baekhyun_?" Kyungsoo murmured under his breath, refusing to meet Jongin's eyes.

"Once upon a time, it was Baekhyun," Jongin pulled back and fondly gazed down at his hyung's face, "but somewhere along the way, it become you."

He lightly grasped onto Kyungsoo's face with such gentleness and sincerity that the elder man was moved to tears and directed his eyes to the floor, finding any way to stop looking like a complete fool. Jongin pressed a feather light kiss to the elder man's forehead and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know it's not the most appropriate timing and you have every right to dislike me, but I mean it when I say I do love you. Can you give me a chance?"

"You're such an i-idiot." Kyungsoo replied, sniffling softly as he locked eyes with Jongin, searching those beautiful brown orbs for any sign of deceit. And yet, he couldn't find any reason to say no. Not when, he found himself falling just as hard.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"What else would it mean?" A soft laugh followed and Jongin smile subconsciously.

"I dunno. Cake?"

"How did I ever come to love someone as dumb as you, I'll never know."

"Hey! I'm right here." He protested by lightly pinching Kyungsoo's cheeks, much to the latter's disapproval. Then, the frown came out of nowhere. It was tiny, almost unnoticeable, but Jongin caught it right away. He gave Kyungsoo time to mull over what he wanted to say by allowing him to open and close his mouth multiple times in failed attempts. He'd wait as long as it would take to listen to what the shorter male had to say.

"Can we tell Baekhyun?"

Jongin's hands fell from the other's ivory skin and he nodded, slowly but surely. The first person who deserved to know had to be Baekhyun. He was the individual who allowed the two of them to connect after all. He would have never met Kyungsoo and fallen in love with the man, if Baekhyun had never walked into and out of his life. For that, he would forever be in debt to Baekhyun.

"Yeah, we can."

_Anywhere I would have followed you, but it's about time I say goodbye. Thank you for everything._

**Author's Note:**

> That pretty much wraps up this one shot. It's essentially word vomit and I had to write this in intervals and as soon as I hit the 1000, it started spewing out otl.
> 
> It wasn't supposed to be this long, but somehow I kept writing and it got longer so yep. If there are any errors, sorry I didn't proofread it lmao.
> 
> I don't really like how it turned out though, but a lot of emotions were poured into it, so it holds a special place in my heart. It's a weird feeling.
> 
> Thank you for reading. I truly hope you enjoyed it and if not, I'll do better next time.
> 
> Kudos, bookmarks, and comments are much appreciated.


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